Social media inspires Japanese women to dash into rickshaw pulling

Rickshaw puller Akina Suzuki, 19, drives a rickshaw around Asakusa district in Tokyo, Japan, June 18, 2023. Pullers walk or run an average of 20 km (12 miles) a day and, in addition to being physically strong, they must have extensive knowledge of Tokyo and know how to engage with the tourists, who mostly hire them for sightseeing, with the most popular drivers make over 1 million yen a month, three times the national average. REUTERS/Issei Kato

TOKYO (Reuters) - Photo essay:

Rickshaw puller Yuka Akimoto breathlessly dashes down the streets of Tokyo under a scorching summer sun, two French tourists enjoying the sights from the back of her black, two-wheeled cart.